When All Hope is Gone
by JechtAndLightningFTW55
Summary: Hope gets into a sticky situation and is forced to go find Lightning, but what lies in store for when he does, after all he hasn't seen her in person for over a Please forgive my lack of knowledge as to how to formulate a story in smooth paragraphs and such, its my first time using the editor Anyway, give me some feed back, bad or
1. Chapter 1: A Not so Typical Day

**When All Hope is Gone**

Chapter 1: A Not So Typical Day  
When Hope awoke he looked around his room, one that he has just gotten used to seeing after the adventure on Pulse. He was settling back into a typical teenagers' life, he started going back to high school, worked part time during the Summer, and he even managed to make some new friends even though his past as a l'Cie was known by almost everyone.  
After sitting in his bed letting the silky blanket cascade around his body contemplating actually getting up or going back to bed, since it was only 5:30 A.M. and he didn't need to be to school until 8:30. He eventually got up and headed off to the bathroom to take a shower, brush his teeth and style his silvery, spiky hair.

"Looking good", he casually said to himself. He decided to skip breakfast since he was much of a morning person and thus didn't have much of an appetite.  
In 3rd period he was confronted by this cocky, annoying, kid named Cloud, who probably had the mental capacity of a 2 year old.

"Hey Hope, whatchu doing?" Cloud said in a belittling tone.  
Hope was mildly amused at the way Cloud had just strolled on up to his desk and tried to converse with him, which surely end in each other throwing around insults since, Hope didn't care for the guy anyway.

"What do you want, Cloud?"

"I asked you a question, I suggest you answer it before I make you answer it."

"Oh nothing, I was just sitting here contemplating why your mom didn't swallow you." Hope said in a snappy manor. If Cloud was planning on starting a fight with Hope, he surely wanted to at this point.

"You little son of a b*tch, I am going to break you!" Cloud exhaled in raspy tone with anger radiating from his entire body and the veins in his neck looked as if they were about to pop.

"Haha, sure keep telling yourself that." Hope said nonchalantly, not even worried about the brute standing before him foaming at the mouth.

"Ahem, gentleman, what are you two doing?" The teacher had noticed the ruckus and has made his way to wear the confrontation was taking place.

"Nothing at all Mr. Harvey." Hope exclaimed whilst writing down the algebraic equations from his math book into his note book for homework later.

"Alright then, Cloud, I suggest you go take your seat." Mr. Harvey said and returned to his desk.

The rest of the period was spent with Hope working on the day's assignments and Cloud giving him a glare, and if looks could kill, Hope would be laying in a casket 6 feet under by now. However, Hope wasn't bothered by it. Though, he did have to see Cloud later today in Lunch. He chuckled to himself thinking of what may take place later in the day.

Hope was eating lunch with a couple of his friends he had just started talking to a few weeks ago at the beginning of the school year. He looked up and saw Cloud and 2 other teens walking toward him.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be good." Hope thought to himself. "Excuse me gentlemen, I shall be back in a few moments." He told his buddies as he got up from the table and started walking toward the 3 buffoons ahead of him.

"Hope, glad to see you came straight to us and accept your punishment." Cloud said in between some amused laughter.

"Nope, I just thought I wouldn't make you waste all of you energy on walking to me. After all, I want this to be fair."

At this point, Hope knew he was going to be getting into a physical altercation with the trio. Without batting an eye Hope swung and clocked Cloud right in jaw, causing him to spin 180 degrees.  
"Oh shit, get him." One of the sidekicks said, and then he tried to throw a punch at Hope but, Hope was still full of combat prowess after being trained by Lightning during the events that happen the year before on Pulse. So Hope, tilted sideways to avoid the blow, and elbowed the idiot in the back of his head. Cloud was still clutching his jaw but had finally come to his senses before turning around and seeing one of his henchmen already laying on the ground, clutching his head and the other being kneed in the stomach repeatedly. Hope was too busy focusing on the second kid and didn't see Cloud coming up behind him.

"HEY HOPE!" Cloud yelled to get his attention. Hope spun around to respond to his name being called but got punched across the face which sent him falling to the floor. Cloud instantly took the opportunity to started kicking Hope in the ribs.


	2. Chapter 2: When Life Gives you Lemons

Chapter 2: When Life Gives you Lemons

Hope felt as if one of his ribs had punctured his lungs, not only because his chest and lung hurt from being kicked like a blitzball, over and over again, but also he had a hard time breathing. However, he could do nothing because Cloud was still towering above him and pummeling him repeatedly with his feet.

"You... little... piece... of... shit..." Cloud stammered out between kicks.

By this time security had finally shown up and managed to pull Cloud off of Hope, who at this point was struggling to get up.

"Sonofabitch" Hope blurted out wile holding his right side and following security who were restraining Cloud, all the way to the principals office.

"Mr. Strife, your actions were completely uncalled for, what do you have to say to explain yourself?"

"Hope is a little cunt and just because he was a l'Cie he thinks he can just come back and act like he can do whatever." Cloud proclaimed proudly with a smile on his face, thinking he was right in doing what he did.

"I see. Mr. Estheim, would you care to explain yourself? After, you did injure two other students."

"No, I would not sir, I just want to get out of this place for awhile. Just suspend me and get it over with already." Hope said as he fidgeted around in his chair knowing his father would not be happy.

"Actually Hope, as of right now... Both you, and Cloud are going to an alternate education system." The principal said as he fixed his tie.

Cloud and Hope's jaws dropped in unison as they stared blankly at each other.

"You mean we're getting expelled?!" Cloud yelled out with an uneasy voice.

"Yes, that is what I mean."

After hearing those words Cloud jumped up in a furious motion and leaped across the room towards Hope and starting strangling Hope.

"Why the fuck did you do this to me, you little prick!" Cloud screamed in Hope's face.

At this point Hope could not get Cloud off of himself because of the way they were position, so instead he reached under his shirt to grab Lightning's knife she had trusted with him that he keeps on him at all times. And stabbed it right into Cloud's abdomen.

"Wha... What did you just do? Cloud whispered in light, fast-paced breaths.

"Fuck you." Hope said, just hearing him still talking Hope decided to plunge the knife into his gut again, and then once more just to make sure.

"Call PSICOM!" the Principal yelled into the office before trying to get out of his own office, so as to not be another victim of Hope's outburst.

Hope fled the building and half way through town, sticking to the alleyways and eventually ducking in to the words on the outskirts of Palumpolum.

"I gotta find somewhere to lay low. My dad will practically kill me if sees me, and PSICOM is going to keep hunting me." Without thinking he decided to head to Bodhum, maybe Lightning could help him out.

* * *

Upon reaching Bodhum he didn't know much of the back ways around the city, he knew how to get to her apartment, but not when he didn't want to be seen. After wandering the city for at least and hour or two, he saw the familiar apartment complex and headed of towards it. He found Lightning's apartment but when he knocked a stranger opened up the door instead.

"Who are you?" Hope asked questioningly trying to look into the apartment to see if he could see Lightning.

"More importantly, who are you?" The stranger said casually while leaning his back against the threshold.

"Nevermind, is Lightning here?"

"Lightning? You mean the girl who used to own this apartment?"

"What do you mean 'used to'?"

"She moved out, I think she was getting shipped to Pulse or something... I think she got deployed for 6 years active duty."

Hope was devastated. He didn't know what to do, he had no where to go, no one to see, and he would probably be sentenced a minimum of 10 years in a correctional facility.

"Hey kid, you alright? You look pale as shit. Actually, you remind me of my son kinda, just his hair was blonde. The names Jecht." He said as he stretched out his hand to Hope as a proper formality.

"What? Oh nothing..." Not acknowledging the hand outstretched in front of his face.

"You know, you still haven't told me your name."

"Hope, Hope Estheim."

"You mean the kid that is being hunted down by PSICOM?"

"How do you know of that?"

"It's all over the news son."

"Shit, this isn't good..." Hope said to himself almost silently.

"You wanna come in man, I don't think you wanna be out in the hall, especially if one of my annoying ass neighbors comes out and sees you."

"Uhm, yeah sure."

Hope couldn't think straight, Lightning was gone, he couldn't get to Pulse even if he tried, and to top it off everyone would know his face by now.

"Hey, uh... Jecht was it? Do perhaps know a way to get to Pulse or know anybody who could get me to Pulse?" Hope said frantically squirming around.

"Nope, sorry kid. Wait a second, you wanna get to Pulse to see, whats her face, the Lightning chick, is that right? Listen here, I am not exactly a fan of PSICOM myself, so I could probably help you get to Pulse. It has been awhile since I have lost myself in combat, I wouldn't mind helping you out."

"Are you serious? You are just gonna help a random ass teenager, who is also wanted for murder?" Hope exclaimed quizzically.

"Haha, I don't see why not... I mean, its either that or PSICOM eventually finds you anyway right?"

"He has a point, but can I trust him? He seems a bit shady but its worth a shot." Hope thought to himself. "Okay, when do you wanna leave?"

"Why not right now? Ain't got a single damned thing to do, so lets get you to Pulse kid." Jecht said before grabbing his large black blade and jumping off the balcony, and falling at least 5 stories. "Hey kid! You coming or not?"

"Are you fucking nuts? I can't survive that. I don't even know how you lived that fall!" Hope proclaimed with uncertainty in his voice.

"Just jump, unless you're a wimp." Jecht spoke with a manor of humor in his voice yet he had something in his voice that made Hope think something about what he just said affected him.

"What the am I doing? This is not gonna end good." Hope murmurs as he lofts himself up and over the railing of the balcony and pushing off of it. "Holy shit, how did I survive that?"

"Hahaha, kid you are way to naive... You need to be toughened up."

"I was. By... By Lightning." Hope managed to stutter out.

"She obviously didn't do a good job then." Jecht said in a _douchey_ tone.

"If I weren't relying on you to get me to Pulse, you'd be dead right n..." Hope was cut off by a platoon of PSICOM soldiers and a PSICOM airship confronting him and Jecht.

"Kid, I highly doubt that, but if you will excuse me." He said he started to change into a huge version of himself, but didn't have legs, instead he had spikes under his waist...

"THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Hope said almost terrified.

"I used to be a guardian in Spira, I was a final aeon."

Hope took that answer as good as any before backing up slightly because whatever Jecht just did, did not look good for the PSICOM soldiers. And Hope did not want to get caught in the thick of it. "What the hell is up this guy, he hates PSICOM. Or does he hate all of those with authority? Furthermore, why would he just willingly offer to take me to Pulse, somethings awry in this situation, I just don't know what yet." Hope thought to himself before being startled by the PSICOM airship being throw over top of him and crashing into a building somewhere down the street.

"So, Hope... Were you gonna help out, or just hide out back there and let the old man do all the work?" Jecht said returning to his normal size and body shape.

All Hope replied with was a pathetic "I dunno."

"Well, if we're gonna make it to Pulse, you're gonna need to pull your own weight in this little escapade we are going on."

Hope was going to reply but somehow a PSICOM soldier slipped by Jecht and snuck behind and tried to grab him. Hope grabbed the soldiers arm and bashed it across the wall, which made him drop his gun. Then Hope grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the concrete side of the apartment building before grabbing his gun and fire off a couple rounds into the soldiers head, causing the sidewalk to be decorated with brain matter and skull bits.

"Huh, I guess she did teach you something." Jecht said, crossing his arms and chuckling to himself.


End file.
